The restaurant chain, which began with just one falafel store in
Abu Dhabi in 2007, might now be considering offering a 25% equity
stake on the Dubai Nasdaq, perhaps
as early as October.

If Just Falafel goes public, it will be the first listing in four
years on a Dubai stock exchange, following the 2009 listing of
Drake & Scull on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), and the
first to IPO on the Dubai Nasdaq since 2008. It would also be the
only restaurant chain listed on a Dubai exchange.

Malas wouldn’t comment on the IPO rumors, but hinted that more news
might be coming soon. Last June, he told The National that going
public would be a tactic for boosting the brand's visibility. “It
is very important for us, that rather than having a handful of
partners, to have a few million shareholders. The only way to
achieve that is by taking the company public. For us it's a huge
marketing play to go public," he
told The National at the time.

Malas, who came on board in 2011, has overseen the company’s
meteoric rise since it began franchising the model that year.
Today, it has 42 stores operating in six markets; whether you love
its multicultural falafel sandwiches or not, you’re about to see
more of lot of them over the next… 45 years. The company has now
sold 700 franchises around the world, to over 60 different owners.
It will open 14 more this year, with the rest rolling out over the
next half century.

If its IPO is successful, Just Falafel stands to reinvigorate hope
among startups in the Middle East. Its story also stands as a
testament to the power of franchising to generate swift growth. To
sell such a large number of franchises in the past two years, the
company has focused on three major elements: 1) its falafel (let’s
not discount the product itself), 2) its location, and 3) its
social media strategy.

As for the award, Malas says, "We're very humbled by these awards,
and we have to live up to the responsibility [they confer]."

‘Healthy’ falafel

The story of its falafel is one Malas has likely told many times.
When asked what makes the company particularly innovative, he
recalls its origin story.

“Although falafel is one of the eldest foods of our times, no one
had given it the time of day to elevate it and adapt it to a modern
lifestyle,” he opens. “The founder, Mohammad Bittar, decided that
he wanted to innovate, and he launched the first store with an
Indian sandwich, a Greek sandwich, and a Lebanese sandwich.”

Bittar then expanded the kingdom. “He wanted to widen his target
audience, and there's a very wide expat community that he wanted to
entertain,” says Malas.

Today, Just Falafel has launched a Japanese sandwich, a Mexican
sandwich, and even a falafel burrito. Although this customer is
often left wishing for less bread and less dressing, it’s easy to
see why the sandwiches appeal to a fast food market across the
globe; it’s not healthy enough to have lost what matters most:
taste.

Location, location, location

When it comes to locations, entering mall food courts was a
critical part of the equation, says Malas. “Once you're in all of
the food courts, the real estate positioning has an element of
exposure that gets clients' attention; they're going to have to try
it.”

As soon as Just Falafel entered malls, it could immediately
market to an area with heavy footfall. Its early adopters were
those who “those who would eat a traditional sandwich anyway,” but
wanted to find out “what a falafel burger would taste like, even if
they had never had one,” Malas explains.

Although Dubai Mall is quite expensive- the most expensive rent the
falafel company pays on any of its properties- Just Falafel has
been breaking even since day one, doing an average of $2,000 in
sales a day, Malas says. (selling around 500 US $4 sandwiches a
day, it has been making over $700,000 in revenue a year based on
his claim).

Prices for an outlet in the Dubai Mall food court over the past
couple of years have been around 1,000 AED per square foot, which
could add up to around 750,000 AED (US $200,000) per year for an
average 750 sq. ft. space. Add in the cost of outfitting the place
and the price of staff, and it’s clear that profits are not large
in a mall location, but, Malas says, Just Falafel has been breaking
even since it opened. Simply having visibility in a space that sees
over 65 million people a year, he says, has helped grow the
brand.

Franchising on Facebook

Anyone who attended the last
Arabnet Beirut knows that a crucial part of Just Falafel’s
story is its ability to leverage Facebook. Last fall, the company
was able to generate 3,500 requests for franchising opportunities
from over 70 countries, by launching a targeted campaign with a
franchising app. At the time, each Just Falafel store had around
25,000 Likes each; the company’s main Facebook page has now reached
over 1.5 million Likes.

That doesn't necessarily amount to conversions, but Malas
summarizes the power of Facebook succinctly: “If you're staying no
to social media today, that's like saying no to mobile phone and
faxes.” Those interested in the details of their campaign can check
out Facebook’s
case study.

All three of these elements have helped the company get to where
it is today, with over $140 million in commitments from franchisees
for new stores. Without franchising, Just Falafel would simply
not have been able to grow as quickly. “Today we could not recruit
people fast enough who were as committed to the brand unless we
worked with franchisees,” says Malas. “We’ve gone from a handful of
people with one location in Abu Dhabi to almost more than 500
people working under the brand,” he says.

The majority of its franchises are breaking even, says Malas. From
each store, Just Falafel takes around a 6-7% royalty and 3-4% in
marketing fees. The average age of its 42 stores is around 13
months, but that “will get much younger,” says Malas, as the
restaurant chain looks to double its total number of stores “in the
next few months,” including going from 8 to 16 stores in Saudi
Arabia, and soon from 5 to 10 stores in London.

Egypt will also be one of its biggest markets; while it has only
launched two stores thus far- one over a month ago and a second
last week- Just Falafel has sold a total of 100 franchises in the
Egyptian market.

Interestingly, among all of its stores, the company itself owns
just one right now, located in Mall of the Emirates; the rest-
including its initial four in Abu Dhabi and Dubai- have been sold
to employees. However, Malas says, the company will also be rolling
out proprietary stores in core markets like the U.S., Australia,
and the U.K. as it expands.

When pressed for what really sets Just Falafel apart, Malas says
that its recipe for success doesn’t involve “any one thing.”

“We try to look out for the next challenge, rather than waiting for
surprises. We’ve already made a lot of mistakes in a short period
of time,” he explains. “You have to take calculated risk in
everything that you do. We make several decisions a day,
whether in our location, or our choice of franchise partners… I
think going forward, we need to continue making the right
decisions.”

Nina is director of Launchpad UAE, a platform that fosters the development and execution of social impact enterprises and corporate social responsibility initiatives, for sustainable environmental, economic and human capital development. Previously she was editor-in-chief at Wamda and more recently managing director of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi.